Analisis Persepsi Masyarakat dan Kerugian Ekonomi Akibat Konflik Manusia dan Orangutan Tapanuli (Pongo tapanuliensis) di Ekosistem Hutan Batang Toru

Abstract

The Batang Toru forest ecosystem is a high biodiversity area. However, excessive levels of human activity in the Batang Toru forest ecosystem also affect its wildlife and lead to human-wildlife conflict. Human-wildlife conflict is a complex problem that leads to losses for both groups. The Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is a great ape species currently in conflict with the local community in the Batang Toru forest ecosystem area. This study aimed to identify the community's perceptions of human-orangutan tapanuli conflict, estimate the economic losses caused by h human-orangutan tapanuli conflict, and estimate the costs paid by the government, society, and non-governmental organizations in mitigating human-orangutan tapanuli conflict. The method utilized to obtain data for this study was accidental sampling for general population respondents and purposive sampling for farmer respondents. Analysis of public perception data using the chi-square method identifies influential factors such as age, level of education, gender, and community type (general populations and farmers). The results have shown that 98% of the respondents were aware that the orangutan is a protected species, and 42% believed that the fruiting season in the agricultural fields was the source of the human-orangutan tapanuli conflict. The chi-square test revealed that age, gender, and degree of education substantially affected perceptions, with correlation values of each variable 105.314, 39.439, and 59.974 and significance levels below 5% (p<0.05). The value of the economic loss suffered by the community surrounding the Batang Toru forest ecosystem is Rp 40,410,000/month, while the cost of conflict mitigation is Rp 4,150,000.